Cough effectiveness confirmed by ivy extract

Cough is considered one of the ten most common occasions for a visit to the family doctor and is the reason for 14 percent of sick leave and for 6.5 percent of days off work in Germany. Many coughing patients expect their doctor to prescribe you an antibiotic, and in every other case, he does. An uncomplicated acute bronchitis should not be treated with an antibiotic, stresses the "German Society of General Medicine and Family Medicine" DEGAM in their current cough guideline. Especially since there are better tolerated herbal medicines whose effectiveness is well documented.

This was again confirmed by a recent study recently published in the internationally respected journal "Pharmacy" (Schaefer A. et al. Pharmacy 71: 504-509 (2016) doi: 10.1691 / ph.2016.6712). The aim of the multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of the treatment of acute cough with the ivy special extract EA 575^®.

Ivy study finds help with cough. Picture: M. Schuppich - fotolia

The study involved 181 adult cough patients (age 18 to 75 years) in five German medical practices (four GP surgeries and one ENT practice). The patients took either the cough liquid EA 575 three times daily for seven days^® or placebo. The severity of coughing was measured on the basis of standardized scales, which included complaints such as the frequency of coughing attacks, mucus production and chest pain. Symptom improvement was assessed in five visits within seven days and one week after cessation of therapy.

The result was clear: treatment with the ivy leaf extract was significantly stronger in all outcomes than in placebo. This difference was detected as early as 48 hours after the first dose of the drug - evidence of the rapid onset of the herbal supplement. The conclusion of the study authors: The ivy extract EA 575^® allows a very well tolerated and effective therapy of acute cough in adults. In addition, the study supports the results of clinical studies that have so far been conducted with EA 575^® in more than 65,000 adult and pediatric patients. (Pm)